Peanut butter whiskey is weird. Its founders probably knew this when they gave their brand the humorous name, Skrewball Whiskey. The Martin Agency has given the brand an aptly weird and humorous campaign that calls on people to Skrew the Usual.
Skrewball Whiskey is the world’s first super-premium peanut butter flavoured American whiskey (one might think, “only in America”, with justification).
The campaign, Skrew the Usual, is a call to action, enticing with its lure of adventure and innovation in each bottle and encouraging people to break away from monotony that keeps delicious discoveries at bay.
“Skrewball wants to inspire consumers to take detours and seek out the weird and wonderful,” stated Kuppy Sampale, brand director of Skrewball Whiskey at Pernod Ricard. “With the introduction of Skrew the Usual, we’re inviting our audience to choose exploration over routine and celebrate trying something new, like the unexpectedly delicious flavour of peanut butter whiskey.”
The campaign is the brand’s biggest since its acquisition by Pernod Ricard in 2023. The 30-second House of High Spirits hero commercial and two accompanying 15-second spots combine the seemingly jarring upmarket qualities appropriate for a premium whiskey and ridiculous humour. At the heart of the campaign is a new fictional spokesperson aptly named Skrew. Skrew, who is the charismatic personification of Skrewball’s charmingly mischievous spirit, beckons viewers to indulge their curiosity and experience the unusually delicious peanut buttery taste of Skrewball Whiskey.
“Skrewball has always been a brand that pushes boundaries and challenges expectations,” commented Steve and Brittany Yeng, co-founders of Skrewball Whiskey.
The brand launched in 2018 and has grown to become the number one peanut butter whiskey in the US with 83% of market share. It is also the number two premium brand in the flavoured whiskey category for value and volume, and the number five brand overall.
The Martin Agency’s campaign launched with online video, social and search on May 9, followed by e out of home advertisements in key cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City in June.
Credits
Client: Skrewball (Pernod Ricard)
Brand Director: Kuppy Sampale
Brand Manager: Gary Feeney
Founders: Brittany Yeng & Steve Yeng
Creative Director: Cris Bowles
Creative: Laura Arayata
Creative Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Executive Officer: Danny Robinson
Chief Creative Officer: Jerry Hoak
Creative Director: Sean Riley
Associate Creative Director: Dave Ashton
Copywriter: Roger Hailes
Art Director: Riley Shine
Design Director: Robyn Makinson
Designer: Molly Dauphin
Artists: Mark Caasi & Brendan Ginsburg
Managing Director: Brett Alexander
Content Producers: Ann Parker & Mel Calabro
Business Affairs Manager: Gloria Gutierrez-Anderson
Vice President: Walker Teele
Group Account Director: Liz Toms
Account Handling: Jacob Lowden
Group Resource Manager: Karen Gates
Project Manager: Maclaine Ellis
Vice President: Elizabeth Paul
Head of Strategy: John Gibson
Planning Director: Mike Obermeyer
Planner: Lexi Magenheim
Strategist: Michael Bonavita
Vice President: Lauren Brennan
Communications Manager: Sofie Diskin
Communications Director: Katherine Sheehan
Digital Producer: Chase Maszle
Production Company: Park Pictures US
Director: Terri Timely
Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee
Managing Director: Justin Pollock
Producer: Christopher Grove
Business Affairs Manager: Anne Bobroff
Head of Production: Chelsea Schwiering
Producer: David Lambert
Content Production Company: Story
Founder: Ana Laura Solís
Partner: Joe Solís
Managing Director: Aura Solís
Producer: Carlos Estrada
Post-Production & VFX: Platige LA
Managing Director: Chris Harlowe
2D Lead: Justin Keil
VFX Producer: Sonia Marcinkowska
Grade: Company 3 LA
Colourist: Bryan Smaller
Executive Producer: Mario Castro
Editorial: The Den Editorial
Editor: Katie Cali
Managing Director: Laura Macauley
Executive Producer: Jennifer Johnson
Edit Assistant: Jesse Richards
Music & Sound: Overcoast Music & Sound
Sound Engineer” Matt Whitworth
Music Supervisor: JL Hodges
